Metabolism in anoxic permeable sediments is dominated by eukaryotic dark fermentation.

ABSTRACT: Permeable sediments are common across continental shelves and are critical contributors to marine biogeochemical cycling. Organic matter in permeable sediments is dominated by microalgae, which as eukaryotes have different anaerobic metabolic pathways to prokaryotes such as bacteria and archaea. Here we present analyses of flow-through reactor experiments showing that dissolved inorganic carbon is produced predominantly as a result of anaerobic eukaryotic metabolic activity. In our experiments, anaerobic production of dissolved inorganic carbon was consistently accompanied by large dissolved H₂ production rates, suggesting the presence of fermentation. The production of both dissolved inorganic carbon and H₂ persisted following administration of broad spectrum bacteri

SUBMITTER: Bourke MF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5217482 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature